"The president has to understand that America must lead and, when American hasn't, a lot of bad things happen," McCain said on "Fox News Sunday."

"This is not like the earthquake in San Francisco. All of this could have been avoided, like leaving a residual behind force in Iraq, and obviously the challenge is now much greater than it would have been."

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), who typically aligns with McCain on matters of foreign policy, said on CNN Sunday that the group is now the "most prominent terrorist organization in the world."

McCain said he wasn't sure if Obama would broaden the offensive against ISIS, but he sounded hopeful.

"I don't think his advisers would be that far out front if they didn't have some confidence," McCain said. "One hopes that ... it is a precursor to the president making an announcement of a new approach."